Ambassador Program

Holly Mandarich

Would you like to join us as we empower all to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience? Learn more about our NextGen Trail Leader and Ambassador programs.

Two Ways Individuals Can Partner With American Hiking Society

Each year American Hiking brings together five early to early-mid career leaders in the outdoor community with a diversity of identities from across the country. American Hiking provides these Leaders with training, mentorship, networking, trail stewardship opportunities, and professional development and gear stipends. Through this partnership, NextGen Trail Leaders build and refine their advocacy and outdoor leadership experience and skills, speaking out to elected officials, serving as ambassadors to the hiking community, building a nationwide stewardship movement, and championing conservation, equity, and inclusion.

2023 NextGen Application

Coming Late 2022

Meet the NextGen Leaders

2022 NextGen Leaders

Ron Griswell

NextGen Stories

Justin Tucker is geared up with a warm hat, jacket, and backpack for a wintery portrait with snow and bare trees in the background.

Hike The Hill 2021 – Strengthening A New Trail Muscle

By Justin Tucker I’ve come to feel pretty sure of myself whenever I head out on trail. At this point in my life and in my hiking tenure, I’m fully…

Jeremiah Su smiles for an outdoor portrait in a baseball cap with a forested hillside in the background

Hike the Hill 2021 – Showing Up Is The Hardest Part

By Jeremy Su I have normally been someone who refrains from making things political, if I felt like it wasn’t necessary. At times, I found that it was easier to…

2020 NextGen graphic overlay on a glacial mountain skyline

Third Class of American Hiking Society’s NextGen Trail Leaders Announced

American Hiking Society is pleased to announce the third class of NextGen Trail Leaders, bringing together rising stars in the outdoor community from across the country. Through American Hiking Society,…

NextGen Trail Leader 2021 graphic over a cloudy sunset and evergreen forest

Apply Now to Be a NextGen Trail Leader

Apply to Be a 2022 NextGen Trail Leader American Hiking Society (AHS) invites applications for its fifth class of NextGen Trail Leaders. With the goal to welcome all into the…

“Does anything I do even matter?”- A NextGen Trail Leader recounts their first advocacy experience.

“Does anything I do even matter? Even as I educate community members and participate in service projects at trailheads in my own community, can I actually change things? Do my elected officials truly hear my emails, phone calls, and petitions?” These questions have been stirring in my mind for years as I have tried to be more active in advocacy for policies that protect the wild places I love.

Reality Check: National Public Lands Advocacy

I learned a lot about federal politics in just a few short days, and while I’m still trying to figure out what it means to me, I think that it’s important to keep perspective. That said, I’m not going to stop dreaming – about ways to improve trails and my community today, and about ways to advocate for change in the future.

Meet the 2022 NextGen Trail Leaders

Kaci Stringer

Aleshea Carrieré

(she/her/hers)

Instagram: @glitzngrits

Biography

Aleshea Carrieré is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, where she double majored in Political Science and History. Coupling her love of Texas with the Outdoors, she runs the blog GlitznGrits, where she showcases Texas and how anyone can enjoy outdoor adventures. As a freelance writer, content creator, and photographer, she has worked on campaigns with notable brands. Aleshea is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). Aleshea earned her Gold Award as a member of Girl Scouts of North East Texas (GSNETX). As a volunteer of GSNETX, Aleshea Co-leads the Backpacking Interest Group (BIG), where she helps girls learn that they, too, can enjoy the outdoors through backpacking and various other backcountry adventures.

Verónica Miranda

(she/her/ella)

Instagram: @vero_wandering

Biography

Verónica is an educator and outdoor enthusiast living in San Francisco, CA. She fell in love with the outdoors later in life, having camped for the first time in Yosemite National Park and running into a bear. Ever since then, she has traveled all over California to visit various open spaces with her family. While exploring the outdoors, she noticed that certain parks had lots of garbage left behind by visitors and made it a priority to learn more about Leave no Trace principles and share that with others. Veronica is a Program Coordinator with Latino Outdoors and helps lead outdoor programming for underrepresented communities. In her spare time, she loves to car camp, hike and practice her photography skills.

Rebeca Rodriguez

(she/her/hers)

Instagram: @hikewithrebeca

Biography

Rebeca is an avid hiker who loves to explore the desert and learn more about its flora and fauna. One of her passions is volunteering with local outdoor organizations to help out the trails that have given her a place of peace and a physical challenge. She loves giving back through trail maintenance and building events along with cleanups. As a trail advocate she stays up-to-date on the latest rezoning laws and hearings happening in the Phoenix metro area and shares this information with others to mobilize action. Her dedication to preserving the Sonoran Desert is in order for future generations to enjoy the beauty and stillness. Currently, she is a Sustainability Solutions graduate student at Arizona State University. Originally from Puerto Rico, she traded the hot and humid for the hot and dry.

Robert White

(he/him/his)

Instagram: @yogirawraw

Biography

Robert was born and raised in San Diego, California, and embodies the lifestyle of an outdoor enthusiast. As a kid, he witnessed family and friends falling into sedentary lifestyles and seeing the impacts it took on their physical, mental and emotional health. Robert made a decision to get outside everyday, to feel the sun, and to optimize his health so he could live a life of longevity doing the things he loves. Currently going to school for Software Development at San Diego State University, Robert spends his free time hiking, practicing and teaching yoga, and maintaining his health, holistically. This year Robert and his girlfriend are working towards building a hiking community, Boot Wild, to encourage people to get outside, get their hearts pumping, and their blood flowing; especially after too many months of isolation.

Machiko Yasuda

(she/her/they)

Instagram: @the.machiko

Biography

Machiko Yasuda grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles with a view of the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest — but it would be decades later until she hiked, rock climbed and even cross-country skied there. Both an outdoors enthusiast and a bicycling/public transportation advocate, she is passionate about combining the two in advocating for better transit to trails. She got her start in park access and public lands advocacy in 2019 in the L.A. Nature for All Leadership Development program and is an active member of the L.A. Nature for All Stewards. During 2021, she served on the National Park Conservation Association's LA Young Leaders Council and completed the Outward Bound Adventures' Diverse Outdoor Leaders Institute. A former journalist turned software engineer, she spends her free time relaxing at hot springs, reading on trains and hiking with her cat in Altadena.

American Hiking Society Ambassadors

Shawnte Salabert

Hiking experts, leaders, content creators, and most importantly passionate advocates of the hiking experience.

Join the Ambassador Team

Apply Here

Wesley Trimble

Meet the AHS Ambassadors

Current Ambassadors

Shawnte Salabert

AHS Ambassadors:

Represent American Hiking Society as a voice for hiking and public lands across social media and AHS communications.
Provide content and storytelling for the AHS Blog and social media channels.
Receive advocacy and communications resources to be effective advocates and leaders.
Join or support annual National Trails Day® events in their local areas in June as a host or participant.
Have the opportunity to participate in an American Hiking Volunteer Vacation stewardship trip.
Participate in other AHS advocacy campaigns, programs, and activities.

AHS Provides Ambassadors:

Discounted registration for an American Hiking Volunteer Vacation trip.
Networking opportunities with leaders and other professionals in the outdoor industry.
Swag and gear from AHS and corporate sponsors.

AHS Ambassador Applicants should be:

Passionate about outdoor advocacy, hiking, and stewardship.
Excellent, dynamic communicators.
Available to engage regularly throughout the year on social media and AHS communications on efforts to protect public lands, hiking, and diversity in the outdoors.

Meet the AHS Ambassadors

Liz Thomas

Carolyn Hartfield

Hiker/Adventure Leader/Speaker

Biography

Carolyn Hartfield is an outdoor enthusiast who leads others on hiking, camping, zip lining, cycling, spelunking, tree climbing, whitewater rafting, kayaking — you name it — excursions. This Baby Boomer who is also a senior citizen says she is “Seasoned and savoring in the spices of life!”

Carolyn was 56 when she went on her first hike. She did not know the hike was going to be a challenging trek up Blood Mountain along the Appalachian Trail. She loved it. Being outside in nature was so exhilarating, she not only wanted to keep hiking but wanted to share her experience with others. “The decision to try something new was one of the best decisions I ever made. It completely changed my life!”

She was so inspired she felt she had to share this newly discovered adventure with others. To prepare herself, she became a certified outings leader through the Sierra Club, was trained in wilderness first aid through the NOLS Wilderness Medical Institute, became a Certified National Interpretive Guide, and selected as a community partner with REI and the Georgia Conservancy. She also works with the National Park Service in their Trails and Rails volunteer program.

As a result of inspiring others through her online monthly newsletter, she has expanded her influential voice to several thousand followers of her web-based Meetup adventure groups and is a leading voice for seniors, encouraging them to get outside and try new things. Carolyn also has a love for senior Olympic sports, earning medals in various state, national and world competitions.

In 2016 Carolyn represented AARP when she was recognized with a ‘Positive Aging Image Award’ from the Georgia Institute on Aging. She has been featured on the CNN/HLN Accent Health Network for her healthy hiking adventures, and in various other media. Carolyn is currently working on her new book, ‘The Joy of Aging’ expected to be released in Spring 2017.

When Carolyn speaks to groups, her message is simple: “Get in the great outdoors, try new activities and have fun while getting healthy!”

Learn more about Carolyn Hartfield at her website: www.CarolynHartfield.com

Michael Lanza

Author/Photographer

Biography

Writer and photographer Michael Lanza is the creator of The Big Outside, where he blogs about his outdoor adventures, including many with his wife and children. The Big Outside has made numerous top blog lists, including USA Today’s Readers Choice list of Top 10 Hiking and Outdoors Bloggers in 2014. A primary goal of Michael’s blog is to inspire and inform other parents to take their own kids on outdoor adventures—and help other families to discover the powerful emotional payoff and bond achieved through sharing outdoors experiences. That’s one of the reasons he is excited to be an ambassador for AHS.

Michael was the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine for 11 years and continues to write for the magazine. His book Before They're Gone—A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award honorable mention, chronicles his wilderness adventures with his wife and their young son and daughter in national parks threatened by climate change. An avid backpacker, climber, backcountry skier, and cyclist, he has hiked and climbed extensively in the U.S. West and Northeast and published stories in numerous magazines about adventure travels on four continents. His articles about global warming helped Backpacker earn a National Magazine Award for general excellence in 2008. He was previously a magazine editor, co-hosted a call-in radio program on New Hampshire Public Radio, and syndicated a weekly outdoor column in about two dozen New England newspapers.

Michael lives with his wife and their two teenagers in Boise, Idaho, where they frequently get out on local trails and explore Idaho’s mountains and rivers.

Connect

Bob and Martha Manning

Hikers/Authors/Speakers

Biography

Bob and Martha Manning are accomplished hikers and authors who write and speak about their outdoor adventures. They discovered the national parks shortly after they were married, honeymooning at Cape Cod National Seashore. They lived in California for several years, hiking and backpacking in Yosemite and many other western national parks. After graduate school, Bob became a professor at the University of Vermont, teaching and studying the history, philosophy, and management of national parks. His program of research for the National Park Service allowed him and Martha to visit and hike in national parks throughout the nation, including spending four year-long sabbaticals at Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Washington, DC headquarters. Martha uses these adventures as inspiration for her work as an artist.

While living in Vermont, they hiked the state’s 272-mile Long Trail, the first long-distance trail in the US. And then they were hooked! They’ve hiked dozens of long-distance trails on six continents and have written two books about these walks. The first, Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People, offers first-hand descriptions of 30 long-distance trails throughout the world. Their second book, Walks of a Lifetime: Extraordinary Hikes from Around the World, offers first-hand descriptions of 30 more long-distance trails and multi-day hikes, interspersed with short essays on many dimensions of hiking. Both books are designed to encourage readers to walk more in their everyday lives and to try long-distance walking.

Bob and Martha are invited speakers at many venues, including the International Trails Symposium, the Walkabout International Conference, and many hiking and conservation organizations. The Mannings have a long association with American Hiking Society. Bob served on the Board of Directors and is a life member, and they are especially pleased to be named AHS Ambassadors. The Mannings take this position seriously, encouraging people to “walk the talk” and reap the many benefits of hiking.

See where the Manning’s have hiked on their website, www.extraordinaryhikes.com.

Jennifer Pharr Davis

Author/Hiker/Speaker

Biography

Jennifer Pharr Davis is a hiker, author, adventure speaker, and 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. She is the founder and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company, an Asheville, NC-based guiding service that strives “to make the wilderness accessible and enjoyable” for hikers of all ages, genders, and ability levels. Jennifer has covered over 14,000 miles of long distance trails on six different continents. In 2011, she completed the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail in forty-six days, eleven hours, and twenty minutes, maintaining a remarkable average of forty-seven miles per day.

As someone who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail as a twenty-one-year-old, completed the Colorado Trail as a newlywed, traversed the Spanish Pyrenees as an expectant mother, has hiked in all fifty states with her husband and two year old daughter, and who is currently section-hiking the Continental Divide Trail, Jennifer truly embodies her belief that “the trail is there for everyone at every phase of life.” She is thrilled to be an Ambassador for the American Hiking Society, and she looks forward to championing AHS initiatives as she continues her speaking and writing career.

Connect

Liz Thomas

Author/Hiker

Biography

Liz Thomas is a well-traveled adventure athlete most known for breaking the women’s unsupported speed record on the 2,181-mile long Appalachian Trail in 2011. She has completed the Triple Crown of Hiking–the Appalachian Trail, the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail, and 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail–and has backpacked over 10,000 miles across the United States on long distance hiking trails. Liz is among the most experienced woman hikers in the country and is known for hiking light and fast. In addition to having a lot of experience hiking, Liz also received a Masters in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the prestigious Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship for her research on long distance hiking trails, conservation, and trail town communities. Liz has been featured in Backpacker Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and LA Magazine and has given talks about her experiences at colleges, hiking clubs, and conferences across the country.